Christmas Surprise
by AnythingButOrdinaryGirl
Summary: As they anticipated the festivities of Christmas that were to come in the next few days and prepared for their new arrival in a few short weeks, they never once expected they would be anticipating a Christmas surprise. OneShot.


**Well here's a little Christmasy oneshot for you - Its not essentially about Christmas as a whole but I hope you enjoy it anyway :) **

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**Christmas Surprise**

_As they anticipated the festivities of Christmas that were to come in the next few days and prepared for their new arrival in a few short weeks, they never once expected they would be anticipating the arrival of a Christmas surprise.

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Gabriella Montez was scared. In fact she was petrified. Her due date was in less than three weeks and she didn't feel at all prepared. Sure she'd read all the baby books from front to back twice and could quote from them but still she didn't feel prepared. Mentally and emotionally she was freaking out. What if she forgot how to do something? What if she didn't hear the baby cry? Or what if the baby didn't like her? All these questioned raced through her mind as she paced the floor of her festively decorated living room at 3am that morning. Yet it wasn't just any morning, it was the morning of Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas.

You see Gabriella had woken not long after she had retired to bed for the night. She had spoken to her cousin on the phone earlier that evening and they had talked about what it was like having a child. Jamie, her cousin, had casually spoken about how it had been raising her three year old daughter Hannah and had answered various questions and queries from Gabriella as honestly as possible. It had been a conversation Gabriella had initiated and was now regretting as a million questions and concerns whizzed through her mind.

Troy rubbed his eyes wearily as he got out of his warm bed and padded along the hallway to find his wife. He'd turned over to find her gone and his concern grew as he realised she was neither in the bedroom nor the bathroom. He silently made his way down the stairs and through the house as he sought to find his wife of three years and their unborn child.

Gabriella was now standing in the kitchen washing dishes that had been left to one side the previous night while listening to the radio to keep her mind from going into overdrive. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and a warm head nuzzle into the crook of her neck and shoulder.

The voice was soft and husky as it spoke "What are you doing up at this time?"

Gabriella sighed and relaxed back into her husband's arms "I couldn't sleep" she replied.

Troy turned his wife around to face him "And why is that? Is everything okay? He asked with concern lacing his voice.

"I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep is all, nothing to worry about" she said as her eyes left his and fell to the floor.

Gabriella knew she shouldn't lie and generally she hated the thought of such a thing but she didn't want Troy to worry anymore than he already did. Plus it sounded irrational and kind of stupid when she thought about saying it out loud

Troy placed two fingers beneath his wife's chin and lifted her head until their eyes connected once again. He searched her mocha orbs with his ocean blue ones before kissing her forehead and leading her to the table. He pulled out a chair and pulled Gabriella gently onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"Tell me what's bothering you Ella" he demanded softly. "Is it all this Christmas preparation stressing you out?"

Gabriella sighed "I'm scared" she said barely above a whisper.

"Scared of what baby?

"I'm scared about having our baby. What if I'm not a good mother?" She answered, her eyes dropping to where her hands were twisting together in her lap.

Troy didn't hesitate to take her smaller hands in his larger ones, stroking them gently "Ella, you're going to be an amazing mom, our child is going to love and adore you just like I do"

Gabriella bit back a sob as a tear fell down her soft skin and met her lips "How can you be so sure Troy? What if..."

She was stopped mid sentence by her husband's finger pressing against her soft lips "Ssh Ella, just relax baby, you're going to be the best mommy ever. I've seen you with Hannah and she adores you, she always has, just like all those kids you teach at school. I know you and I know you can do this, we can do it together" He smiled reassuringly.

His reassuring words and the feel of the soothing circles he was drawing on her back had the tension melt away. She studied him for a minute and smiled, he'd always been her rock through everything in life and he always knew the right things to say. Sometimes she wondered how she was so lucky to have him. "Thank you, you always know the right things to say"

Troy smiled adoringly at his wife before shaking his head "Don't thank me, I'm your husband, I'm supposed to be here for you. I always told you I'd be with you every step of the way on our journey and I don't have to think twice to know we're going to have the most amazing experience bringing up our children"

The pair shared a tender kiss before pulling away and smiling at each other like goofy teenagers would. After nine years together they were still as in love as ever. As the radio crooned in the background Troy smiled, remembering it was now Christmas Eve.

"May I have this dance?" He asked as he stood up and bowed like a man from the old days.

Gabriella laughed at him before obliging. "Of course you may"

The pair slowly danced to the music in the glow of the Christmas lights, both thinking about their first Christmas as a couple and the Christmas ball they had danced at. It had been a special time and here they were nine years down the line recreating that moment only with an addition to their family.

Outside the snow had started to fall ever so lightly and as Troy's eyes flickered to the window his eyes lit up like a small child's. "Ella, look out the window baby" He exclaimed as she looked up at him confused.

Adhering to his wishes, Gabriella turned her attention to the window outside and smiled brightly "It's snowing!" She half yelled, giddy like a small child. "Can we go and watch it, please?" she begged with her best puppy dog eyes and pout.

"Damn it woman, you know I can't resist that face" Troy groaned before collecting their coats.

The snow started to fall harder and faster as they stood at the door watching the scene in front of them with expressions of pure glee on their young faces. "It's so magical, it hasn't snowed on Christmas for so long" Gabriella stated, more than a little mesmerised.

Troy smiled at his wife and something told him this was going to be a magical Christmas this year as they watch the snow fall softly to the ground together until he decided it was time they both got some sleep.

Christmas Eve was busy in the Bolton household as Troy completed chores and tasks around the house while Gabriella wrapped their family's presents and placed them under their tree. Gabriella was still apprehensive about starting their family together but had decided to let it go and just enjoy the Christmas season with her husband and family before their new addition arrived. She truly loved Christmas and always spent every year wrapping presents and making the house look as festive as possible. Like tradition would have it, she made cookies and Christmas treats during the extraordinarily long day which left an aroma so sweet around the house that it had Troy salivating for just a tiny taste of the delicious food.

This time of year also saw people popping in and out of the house to pass on gifts and well wishes for the holidays. Carol singers could often be heard belting out Christmas tunes around the street in hopes of raising money for their chosen charity or church while the kids could be heard running around in excitement of what was to come while their mothers sighed exasperatedly for the five hundredth time as their child ran circles around them, repeatedly asking if it was almost time for them to sleep. Yes this time of year certainly was magical, it was crazy and busy but it was mostly beautiful and exquisite. The snow this year had definitely ensured that Christmas was even more magical than it had been in past years Gabriella thought as she looked out the kitchen window at the falling snow.

Troy had finished his last job of shovelling the front path leading up to the door and placing grit down to prevent it from icing over and was ready to find his beautiful wife and relax for the rest of the afternoon. His hopes of relaxing seemed pretty slim as he entered the kitchen to find his wife cleaning away while listening to the music in the background. He rolled his eyes at her obsessive behaviour sometimes.

"Honey, Ella, you think maybe you want to relax now?" He asked as he leaned on the marble counter top beside him.

Gabriella almost jumped a mile high "Troy you scared me! And no I feel the need to clean up, I'll relax later, I promise" She grinned as she kissed him lightly on the lips and got back to her cleaning.

Troy sighed and shook his head before heading to the bathroom to shower and change so he could at least sit and watch the basketball game in comfort. He would have preferred to sit and spend the rest of the afternoon curled up on the sofa with his wife but considering that plan was out the window he may as well watch the game.

"Well I wish it could be Christmas everyday..." Gabriella sang along to the radio as she cleaned the insides of the kitchen cupboards and made them sparkle like never before. For some reason she found herself enjoying cleaning up but she felt guilty about not spending the afternoon with Troy.

As Troy settled to watch the basketball game on the TV, Gabriella walked into the room and plopped onto the sofa next to him smiling widely at him. "You changed your mind baby?" He hoped, his eyebrows raised in question.

"I sure have hubby" She replied as she leant in for a sweet kiss off her husband.

They spent the afternoon and evening lying in each other's embrace on the sofa in view of their large Christmas tree and television set. The living room was warm as the fire roared and mugs of steaming hot chocolate with candy canes in sat on the coffee table. Christmas movies played back to back as the couple enjoyed the Christmas spirit that seemed to surround them.

"You know what would make this even better?" Gabriella queried.

"What?" Troy asked with a smile.

"Mince pies of course, silly!" She exclaimed with a laugh as she sat up to make her way to the kitchen.

"Oh right of course!" Troy laughed. "I'll just head to the bathroom while you get them then" He added as he headed up their grand staircase.

As Troy made his way back downstairs ten minutes later, admiring the decorative features hanging around, such as the tinsel weaved in and out of the staircase spindles; he heard a crash and a groan. He knew something was not right as he ran to the kitchen to find his beloved wife bent over and groaning.

"Ella, what happened; are you okay?" His words were rushed and panicked as he witnessed his wife's pain.

"Ahh, waters, oooh, broke" Were the only words she could manage to get out between her pain and gasps for breath.

The wheels in Troy's head started to turn as he noticed a puddle of water on the floor and his instinct kicked in. "Right, Oh my goodness, you're in labour. Oh God, you sit here and wait" He urged as he lead his wife to a kitchen chair. "I'll get the bag for the hospital and I'll phone them to let them know we're on our way"

Troy had no time to think about what was happening as he raced around the house getting the stuff they were going to need and phoning the hospital in the process to let them know of their imminent arrival. In the 10 minutes it had took him to gather everything, Gabriella had made her way to the sofa and was sitting with her coat on ready to leave.

"You know I told you to wait for me, I don't want you hurting yourself" He informed her firmly.

Gabriella laughed "Troy I'm pregnant and in labour, not terminally ill and dying"

Troy just rolled his eyes and helped his wife to the car parked outside their house, waving to their neighbours on the way and asking them to watch the house for them.

"I guess we should have seen this coming! You going into labour I mean, you were cleaning up so much today" Troy commented as he focused on the road ahead.

Gabriella knitted her eyebrows together in confusion "Why would that suggest to you that I was going to go into labour?"

"It's called nesting, Ella. When you're due to give birth, you start preparing for the arrival by 'nesting' or creating a homely and safe environment for the child."

Gabriella was shocked. She'd read about that before but had forgotten about it, yet Troy somehow knew about it and she was impressed. "Wow I'm impressed. In that case we should have known huh?" She smiled.

The snow was falling hard as Troy reached the highway and to his dismay he realised the traffic was completely backed up after a road traffic accident. "Shit, shit, shit"

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked as she took a deep breath to control the oncoming attraction.

Troy sighed, exasperated "There's traffic; you think you can hold on a while longer?" He asked hopefully.

"Maybe, I'm hoping so. I really don't want my child to be delivered in a car. Oh god..."

Troy looked alarmed "What is it, is the baby coming now?"

He received no answer as his wife took deep breaths and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tighter as the pain increased. "Fuck, Ella you almost broke my hand baby" Troy joked as his wife released his hand.

"Well that's what you deserve! You got me into this position and I'm in a hell of a lot more pain than your hand is so shut up!" She snapped at him.

Troy was shocked for a second before recovering, aware that his wife was in fact right and now was not the time for jokes. As he helped his wife with her breathing he noticed her contractions were becoming more frequent as the traffic slowly moved forward towards the next junction. Before they knew it their child was going to be born and he'd be damned if it was in a car on a highway! Whipping out his phone, he called the hospital and explained how their current predicament was going to mean a child being born in a dangerous situation.

Gabriella was breathing heavily and in a lot more pain than previously as the Troy took a sharp turn down the slip road to the junction that lead them back to their house. "What the heck are you doing Troy?"

"I'm taking you home, where you will have our baby"

Gabriella's eyes almost popped out of her head as she repeated the words her husband had just told her "I, what, why? I'd prefer to be in hospital with medical staff!"

Troy heard the panic in his wife's voice and realised he'd not explained the situation properly to her in his haste to get them home quickly before the baby arrived. "The hospital is sending the midwife to us considering we won't make it to them in time. It's too dangerous to give birth on a highway baby and that's what would happen if we stayed there"

Gabriella couldn't comprehend the situation and didn't have much time too as another contraction took over her body, sending a searing pain through her as her baby made its way out. This child seemed to be in a rush to make it in to the world as they pulled into their driveway and made their way into the house.

A half hour later, Gabriella was settled on the floor with the sofa behind her for support as her contractions became closer and closer.

"Okay Gabriella, I think you're just about ready to start pushing now" The midwife commented as she sat in kneeled in front of Gabriella.

Troy grabbed his wife's hand as she pushed on her contraction and helped her with words of encouragement and reassurance. The pain she was experiencing was agonising to watch and he knew if he could he would switch places with her in a heartbeat but sadly he knew that was not how God had intended it.

"Gabriella I need you to push a bit harder dear, your baby is almost here but we need a few extra big pushes"

Gabriella groaned and let her head fall back onto the sofa "I can't, I'm too tired to push anymore. I can't do it, I can't" She cried as the exhaustion of labour took a hold of her and her emotions went awry.

"Baby come on, we can do this together, just squeeze my hand as hard as you can and push hard. Just think the baby will be here in no time"

Gabriella looked at her husband and knew she could do anything with him by her side. Grabbing his hand she pushed a little harder until the midwife told her stop.

Troy looked to the midwife who was showing an expression of concern and worry on her face as she looked at Gabriella. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

The midwife looked at the young man in front of her "The baby is becoming a little distressed, we need to act quickly for the safety of both mother and child"

Before Troy could speak, Gabriella had become alert and was panicking "What? Is my baby okay? Please you have to my baby out now"

"Please Gabriella, you need to calm down, it's not helping the baby. I need you to push your hardest now in order to get this little one out quickly" The midwife exclaimed in a serious tone.

Troy stroked Gabriella's messed up hair "Baby its okay, this baby is a Bolton and we're fighters, she'll be fine. She's just dying to get out too meet her mommy and its making her a little stressed"

The words of Troy Bolton seemed to work as Gabriella took a deep breath and let it out, letting herself calm down for her baby's sake. She looked around and thought how surreal this situation was, she was giving birth to her first child in her home on Christmas Eve.

Gabriella summoned the energy to start pushing once more and gave all she had to getting her baby out safe and sound with the help of Troy and the midwife. It was a half an hour later when the midwife smiled brightly and wrapped the crying bundle of joy up in a yellow blanket.

"Here you go Mommy, you're little girl is here to see you"

Gabriella held her arms open to receive the bundle of joy and tears dripped down her face as she peeked over the blanket to see a beautiful little girl sleeping peacefully as though nothing had happened at all.

Troy's eyes glistened with tears as the smile on his face grew even wider by the second; he had a girl, a beautiful little girl who looked just like her mother already with her beautiful brown curls on top of her head. She was perfect. His wife was perfect. Their family was perfect.

"She's so beautiful baby, thank you" Troy beamed at his wife.

Gabriella smiled "Hey you had something to do with this little one too you know"

"Ah but she's all you I can tell already, she's going to perfect like her mother" He said as he stroked his new born daughters face.

Gabriella just shook her head as she shared a sweet kiss with her husband before continuing to stare lovingly at the new addition to the Bolton family.

"She's a Christmas baby" Troy remarked as he stared at the clock.

Gabriella broke from her trance "Huh?"

"Our baby girl is a Christmas baby; she was born at 12:46am"

"In that case; Merry Christmas babe, I hope you like your present" Gabriella laughed at her statement as her eyes connected with her husband's.

"Merry Christmas, what shall we call her?"

The couple thought about this for a while, both had suggested baby names over the previous weeks but they hadn't decided on a set name as of yet due to the fact their daughter was three weeks early.

Gabriella suddenly had a stroke of inspiration as she watched the beautiful baby sleeping in her father's arms "How about 'Holly'? We both liked that name. Plus she was born on Christmas so how about 'Noelle' for the middle name?" Gabriella suggested to her husband.

"Holly Noelle Bolton" Troy recited out loud. "Perfect"

The pair sat and stared at the new addition to their family until their relatives arrived to meet the new bundle of joy.

"Oh my dears, you've had the baby!" Anna Montez announced as she hurried through the door and over to her daughter to hug her tight. "Well done my Mija, I'm so proud"

Lucille repeated the same actions before both women fussed over the little baby being held by its father. The men meanwhile were almost also moved to tears as they took in the sight in front of them.

Robert Montez took a peak at the new arrival "Congratulations to both of you, she's absolutely perfect"

Jack Bolton agreed wholeheartedly as both men talked about how much they were looking forward to having their granddaughter around and teaching her about her wonderful parents.

"I'd like all of you here to officially meet Holly Noelle Bolton, the newest addition to the family" Troy announced to the room as he stood up with his baby girl in his arms, showing her off to the family.

The family couldn't believe that it was actually Christmas day and they were sitting with their first child or grandchild in a house, surrounded by everything that was Christmas, after she had arrived three weeks early. Everything was about to change from this point forward but Gabriella found herself more excited than she did anxious as she thought about the miracle that happened overnight. Troy too was beyond excited to have a little girl to spoil completely rotten and call his 'princess' while the grandparents were just amazed that they had their first grandchild. Christmas would never be the same again for the Bolton family but it would be better than ever. A shock though it was for all the family, the scene playing out was one of love and happiness as the family revelled in the joy of their Christmas surprise. The best Christmas surprise they could have ever hoped for.

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**I own the storyline only. All rights to rightful owners. Please let me know what you think by leaving a Review! I honestly feel it could have been a little better so your thoughts would be wonderful. :)**


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